Locally produced biofuels will reduce the climate impact of aviation
IVL Swedish Environment Research Institute will, together with the Fly Green Fund association, launch a project to leverage large-scale production of biofuel in Sweden. At present, biofuel is only produced at a single plant in California, and the project is keen to change that. The plan is to utilize Swedish forests and make possible access to locally produced biofuel.
– Aviation is responsible for the volume and increase of carbon emissions. Renewable aviation fuel harvested from forest raw materials can both reduce the climate impact of Swedish aviation, and simultaneously create new and sustainable sources of income for the forest industry, says Erik Furusjö, project manager at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute. The project is a so-called Step 1 project running under the aegis of the Vinnova Challenge Driven Innovation programme. It will commence with a preliminary study to identify the most promising technologies for producing biofuel from forest raw materials and develop business models, but the project aims to reach higher than that: – This is an exposition programme in three stages. Our goal is to develop and demonstrate a solution on a pre-commercial scale and to establish the conditions for the first major commercial facility. Our vision is to found a Swedish aviation biofuel region with local biofuel production that exports both expertise and hardware. This will reduce pressure on the climate, not only in Sweden but also across the world, says Erik Furusjö. Sweden is well positioned to become a leader in the field thanks to an abundance of natural resources, a wealth of high-quality research, the availability of political support and a forest industry prepared for change. – We believe that Sweden has the potential to be a forerunner when it comes to the development of biofuel. We have the raw materials, acknowledged researchers in the field, tourists who want to travel sustainably, political support, a forest industry that is preparing for market change and decades of experience in biomass processing, says Maria Fiskerud, CEO of the Fly Green Fund. The consortium is made up of stakeholders with insight into the entire value chain and with expertise in technology, business models and sustainability. IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute has initiated the project together with the Fly Green Fund, a non-profit economic association that enables companies and individuals to reduce their air travel’s climate impact. The consortium also includes: Jämtlandsgas, a forest owner Luleå,Technical University and Cowi, experts in production technology Swedavia, end users representative Sky NRG, an expert in the production and certification of biofuel The initial phase of the project will also establish a consortium for the next phase and additional partners with business interests in biofuel production are welcome to participate. For more information, please contact: Erik Furusjö, erik.furusjo@ivl.se, +46. (0)10-788 65 91 Maria Fiskerud, Fly Green Fund, maria@flygreenfund.se, +46 (0)70-607 11 61